Wednesday, December 17, 2008

tiny ships carrying loads of thanks

Do you remember that book, A Very Young Dancer, by Kill Krementz? Apparently it was quite an influential book for all my sisters and me. I was looking at a copy while we were visiting my sister last weekend, and it's especially interesting to read again as an adult; the little girl in the book danced the part of Marie for George Balanchine in his version of The Nutcracker, for Pete's sake! What a dream come true! This book inspired me to take ballet lessons, which I pursued well into high school. But dancing en pointe is an insanely painful experience, and while I still love to dance (I love barre work especially and wish I still had time to take classes), I don't miss the pain aspect at all.

Anyway, I noticed in the book's photographs that, in Balanchine's version of The Nutcracker, Marie (who was always known as Clara in our version of The Nutcracker, growing up) and the prince leave The Land of the Sweets in a little walnut-shell boat. Why don't they have that little boat in the current production? Much better than a sleigh, in my opinon.

Well, I've got walnut shells. We pick them up in our neighborhood where the squirrels drop the shells, already halved, so we don't need to struggle with a nutcracker (New Yorkers feed walnuts to squirrels. And our dogs wear coats and Halloween costumes. Yes, it's a different world out here.) and lightly spray them with gold spray paint to make little walnut ornaments like the ones my Grandma used to make. Out came the hot glue gun, some toothpicks, and glitter. Now we've got a little flotilla of walnut boat ornaments. Or is it an armada? I have no idea.

So Merry Christmas! I'd like to give away a handful of walnut boats to celebrate the holidays, and if you leave a comment I'll do a quick drawing sometime in the next couple of days and hopefully sail a boat in your direction to arrive right around Christmas.

Thanks for coming along with me on this little 2008 journey. You float my boat!

79 comments:

Hi. I found your blog through the Oliver + S blog. (Your patterns inspired me to learn to sew- and I thought I was a helpless case.) I enjoy your writing. I also really love those little walnut boats. If I don't win your drawing, I may try my hand at those, too. :) Thanks for being inspirational.

I think this is the most precious little ornament I have seen in forever and a day! I do plan on trying to make them, too. Thank you ever so much for this inspiration. Bless you! I would love to have one of yours!

I can't ever get enough puns and silly jokes. . . I would have made a "float my boat" joke too!I just read a version of the Nutcracker that has Marie and a walnut boat to my daughter the other night. She kept correcting me, "No Mom, her name's CLARA!" So, there you go!

I love these! When I was little we made little walnut mangers in Primary with those tiny plastic babies (we swaddled them in paper towels then - we were probably 6!) around Christmas time as we were told the story of the Nativity. While I still love those, I think the boats are really cute and I might just have to make some!

I love the walnut shell boats! The sleigh should only be used as transportation out of the snow scene! I danced in the nutcracker for 8 years, and half of our tree is covered in nutcracker themed ornaments I got back then. I may have to find some walnut to get half shells from.

Oh my goodness, I LOVED that book when I was little! My sister and I read it so much that the binding fell apart. We also had A Very Young Gymnast, which was interesting, but we were dancers, so the ballet book was favored. Anyway, love the ornaments!

Oooh, they are lovely! I love that your blog is always such simple inspiration. Not, "ooh, I could do that but it's so much work!"... more "hey, that's a great idea, simple with a bang, I should make one too".

...but if you are offering to send me one instead of me making one, I won't complain!

Oh, I love this post! Not only did my sisters and I ALSO have that book and take ballet as a result, but our mother had us make those delightful walnut shell ornaments each year--what a sweet memory for you to bring back for me!

I love boats. And walnuts. And Jill Krementz (did you know she was Kurt Vonnegut's wife?). My sister was obsessed with "A Very Young Gymnast" when she was a child and did cartwheels pretty much constantly for several years, including in front of the TV when others were watching. Fun times.

Oh, you've made my day! I used to be a ballet-enchanted little girl, but because I was chubby (as were the 2 other little girls who rode with me to ballet class), we didn't get any encouragement from the teacher. I love the little boats -- we used to make such things when I was little (in the 1950s), though we filled the shells with melted candle wax instead of hot glue, and we didn't bother to paint them. Yours are so much sweeter. Here's an idea -- what if you wrote little special messages on the sails and banners (made out of plain paper?) It's not as "re-cycle" as using book pages, but a neat idea for personalizing them.

Those are amazing little boats. I just love them! I do know that book well and, in fact, was just looking through it the other day with my son who was in a local production of the Nutcracker. I was wondering what ever became of the girl in the book.

Oh! I had that book as well! I LOVED that book. When I went to the Nutcracker for the first time, I knew I wanted to be a dancer. I took ballet too, I think for 6 years. I never made it to pointe shoes (sad) but my toes probably thank me. Thanks for this post, it brought back a flood of good memories for me tonight! I am so glad that someone else (or someone elses!) loved that book as much as I did. I think my sister got A Little Gymnast. She loved hers too!

Where have I been? Seriously. Had NOOOOo idea I had missed all these recent postings. First, my sister and I get together each year to make cookies with the kids/cousins for the very same reason (2 adults=more fun?), Second - brown wrap? Are you kidding? Really - you do that, too? Great minds think alike. (hehe) Although, Tsia must be more clever because the white crayon idea was DARLING! I really enjoyed your Baby Jesus book posting, too - that book looks very much loved. Although, my curiosity has piqued with your dad going to Antarctica - that sounds intriguing!!!! Do tell!

about disdressed

Thanks for dropping by! I'm Liesl Gibson, designer of the Oliver + S and Lisette sewing patterns and fabric collections. This is where I blather on about whatever I'm interested in at the moment, whenever I have a little time to do so.